


Tainted Soul

by sunf1sh



Category: Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Chance Meetings, Characters Are in Fandom, Dragons, F/F, F/M, Fate, Found Family, Friendship, Fugitives, Grief/Mourning, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Major Original Character(s), On the Run, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Pining, Platonic Relationships, Royalty, Self Confidence Issues, Sibling Rivalry, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27994065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunf1sh/pseuds/sunf1sh
Summary: Mako is a former SeaWing heir who abandoned his kingdom. Seafoam is his older sister who was thrown into his position when he left. Neither wants the throne for their own reasons, and neither sibling can be happy if the other is.Macaw is a RainWing. While ordinary at first glance, the fact that he's animus-cursed speaks for itself. His awful luck is reflected on those around him, and when his burden almost kills his favorite sister, he decides it's better not to take chances and leaves the rainforest. Not like anyone would miss him, anyway.Fennec and Solstice are hybrid SandWing refugees. They met when they were younger and have been family-friends ever since. A vicious queen intent on purifying the bloodline ascending the throne forces them underground, in hiding with others affected. When Solstice's parents are killed during a raid, they realize they need to escape the desert somehow.Peppermint is a hybrid. Her mother was drafted into war, and her father walked out on both of them before she was born. After getting tired of living an uneventful life on the edge of the tundra on her own, she leaves to search for something more.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue

_A year ago_

Seafoam sat in front of a large mirror on the wall of the Summer Palace, bejeweled with pearls and necklaces from her curved horns to her talons, looking and feeling ridiculous. The spot where her scales had been mutilated in the middle of her snout was still warm and tingling with blunt pain. There were several other gashes among the dragoness's body, but they were minor enough to mask with jewelry.

She probably wasn't in the best condition to be crowned, still somewhat unkempt from the battle, but there wasn't much she could do about it at the moment. She wiped dry tears from glazed eyes and pressed a webbed talon to the wound, wincing slightly. It was no longer bleeding but still hurt unimaginably.

Her mother's talons had done damage.

She'd headed here straight from her initiation skirmish with her mother. Even though it had taken place less than an hour ago, it already felt like a faint memory. She'd been preparing for this her whole life, even though she hadn't been aware of this responsibility until recently.

Her father had died in combat with a cluster of IceWings two years ago, their sworn enemies. He had been the commander of their tribe's army, as well as the king. Stingray was never a good father, absent more often than not for battle responsibilities or training, but Seafoam still regretted his passing. The cause of the war between the two tribes was debated on, but she knew that the tundra-born dragons were heartless, bloodthirsty, and not to be trusted.

His death hadn't gone over very well with the royal family.

Her mother, the queen of the SeaWings, was now dead as well, slashed in the throat in battle and suffocated by her own daughter.

The image of Azure crumpling to the ground in the arena, her blood turning the sand dark red and sticky as she gagged for a few heartbeats before going still, and Seafoam standing coldly over the body with stained talons continued to haunt her. The dragoness was an easy opponent, apparently more bark than bite.

This would be on Seafoam's record for the rest of her life. She'd proven she was capable of murder, and it was what had to be done. And quite frankly, Azure deserved it.

Her two younger brothers had gone down together in a way. She hadn't been there, but they were on the shore when the IceWings arrived. They had been planning an ambush on the kingdom and snuck in a little after sunrise. They killed Manatee first in a haste to dispose of witnesses. Mako managed to escape, but only after his brother was dead, struck down with a plume of frostbreath.

He had been deaf, unaware of the fatal threat looming over them. Mako had managed to return and warn the kingdom before the enemies. However, even despite now being a hero, he couldn't live with his guilt of his brother's death, blaming himself for it. They'd been close, closer than Seafoam ever was to him.

He left the kingdom a little less than a year ago.

Seafoam wasn't sure where he'd gone, but he was the heir of their tribe. The SeaWings sometimes chose a predestined member of the royal family to inherit the throne, as to avoid the battles to the death of their past. However, now that Mako was ineligible she'd been forced into his life, forced to murder her mother. And that was something that didn't come easy for her.

She'd been in love. His name was Permafrost, and he was an IceWing. They'd been together before the war when the continent lived in relative peace and inter-tribe relationships were frowned upon, but not treason. They'd been planning on eloping right before Mako left and her life was flipped upside down.

Suddenly she was thrown back onto the beach, the mangled corpse of her object of affection lying eerily still in front of her. Her mother had flown from across the sea somewhere and landed next to her on the shore, wrapping a wing around her. Her vision blurred with tears and her talons feeling like giving way, Seafoam tore away from her and demanded an explanation. She'd never forget the sickening satisfaction on Azure's face when she explained that she'd hired an assassin to kill him.

If she was to be the future queen, running off with an IceWing wasn't an option. Seafoam wanted to murder her mother right there on the beach, grief-stricken and infuriated. Little did she know she'd be doing it just a few years later. Looking back, Permafrost's brutal murder may have been the or at least one cause of the bifurcated war between the tribes.

Seafoam tore herself away from her brooding and stole a shaky breath. She returned to examining her ragged reflection in the mirror, adjusting jewelry here and there. She'd become more lost in her thoughts than she'd wanted.

She finally stood up, her posture stiff, and began to make her way to the throne room a few hallways away, which felt still and empty despite being filled with dragons. Her ears were ringing as her heart beat steadily in her chest. A single, messy tear rolled down her cheek as she walked that she didn't bother to wipe away.

About half an hour later that flashed by like seconds, an intimidating looking silver and pearl crown was positioned on her head as her kingdom gave a general cheer of approval.

Her eyes darted around the room but made contact with no one, instead resting her gaze on the ivory sculptures in the back of the room of notable deceased members of the royal family. Her likeness would be among them one day, most likely thrown next to her cynical mother and absent father.

Seafoam was nowhere near close to who she was a few years ago. She was innocent then, unaware of her nearing fate. Now she had murder on her record. She was alone.

She refused to let her subjects see weakness in her expression despite how broken she felt inside. Everyone she cared about was dead, and it was all her coward brother Mako's fault.

Except for the last thing she had to remember Permafrost by, an unborn dragonet who she swore she'd defend with her life.


	2. Memories

_A year ago_

A dragon was flying over the ocean, his thoughts plagued.

It had been nearly two months but Mako's trauma over his brother's death was yet to falter. Visions continued to drift in and out of his head, and with each one he felt more and more defeated.

IceWings.

Claws.

Frostbreath.

Manatee.

Seafoam.

Three moons, Seafoam would kill him for leaving. He'd really gone off the deep end this time.

He beat his wings on autopilot, watching the waves crash a few feet underneath him. His breaths started to become shakier with exhaustion as he flew. He had no idea how long he'd been flying or where he was going; his mind was only set on one thing: getting as far away from the Sea Kingdom as possible. 

_present day_

Mako awoke with a jolt, unintentionally hitting his head on a shelf attached to the wall above him. The aspects of his dream faded with the abrupt contact. 

The steady waves of the ocean melted beneath his talons into a sandstone floor. He was no longer in the air but sprawled out rather awkwardly on a cot. What he'd had wasn't a dream exactly, more of his mind revisiting a memory.

An awful, awful memory. 

He adjusted himself into a more comfortable position and took a minute to take in his surroundings, temporarily disoriented. He blinked. The room was dark except for a few beams of light peeking out from the small windows. He guessed it was around sunrise.

Mako tried to stretch his wings but soon felt a twinge of pain and found one was forced down, wrapped tightly in bandages.

Then everything came back to him in a landslide. 

He was lying in a run-of-the-mill infirmary in Possibility, surrounded by a few other sleeping dragons.

...IceWings. He was here because of IceWings. Even thinking the name of the tribe made his blood run cold.

A swarm of those awful dragons decided to show their faces in the city the previous day. Possibility, the one place Mako had thought they wouldn't show their faces. 

They'd come with a motive. They knew there were SeaWings hiding out there, whether afflicted with the war or not and came armed, targeting them. Mako had managed to escape without much injury. He'd even managed to get a few blows in with the IceWings in the process.

They may have stolen the life of his brother, but they'd never be lucky enough to drag Mako down with him.

He had ended up getting his wing snagged in their talons, though, hence the bandage. Some of the other SeaWings around him, as he was noticing now, weren't as lucky. Instead of making a narrow escape with a torn wing, a few had been noticeably hit by frostbreath.

As his green eyes traced the spiky blue and white frost spreading over their scales, a tremor ran down his spine and he was teleported against his will to another bitter memory he wanted more than anything to forget.

He was back on the shore. 

The IceWings had fled, but not before they'd taken down his brother. Mako was pacing quickly around him, feeling a mixture of more emotions than he could count. Manatee, formerly light pale blue and full of life despite his disability, was now turning a grim shade of white as if a layer of ice was literally spreading over him. 

He lay slumped in the sand, shivering violently. His eyes were darting around, his slitted pupils so contracted that they were barely visible.

Mako pressed himself against Manatee, wrapping him tightly in his wings to shield him from the cold, even though he was aware it wouldn't do much to help. 

His younger brother's scales were frigid to the touch, but Mako disregarded this and continued to brave against it.

The beach had become forebodingly still. It was eerily silent except for the distant waves and shaky breaths escaping from Manatee. His younger brother was hovering over the barrier between life and death and it was all his fault.

Manatee shifted. A small light entered his eyes as he lifted his head to look up at him, but as if the effort was too difficult to endure, he slumped back into the sand. A heartbeat passed.

And then a small, dim flicker of light escaped from Manatee's scales. Mako watched dumbly as he flashed a weak ' _Don't worry about me,'_ in Aquatic, then with a final shudder became still.

Mako practically collapsed onto his brother's small body. He didn't attempt to stifle his emotions as he was so used to doing, spiraling into a bout of desperate, shaky sobbing. Manatee- his younger, often forgotten brother who he was supposed to protect- was gone. Mako wished this was all a cruel nightmare.

But after what seemed like hours of laying by Manatee's side, hoping for a response of some kind, he realized the frigidness of IceWing frostbreath was replaced with something else, something colder: the formidable touch of death. Something that would haunt him forever.

Mako flashed back to reality for the second time that morning.

Aside from feeling empty, drowsiness was also numbing him. Perhaps he'd been drugged last night to sleep and let the wound heal. 

He heaved himself off the cot. He figured a walk through the city would wake him up. If IceWings were targeting Possibility now, he needed to be on high alert. And he really needed to clear his head.

He was nearing the exit when a voice called out to him from the corner of the room.

"Where you off to, Mako?"

Mako, temporarily knocked out of his thoughts with alarm, relaxed when his eyes fell on the familiar figure of one of the healers approaching him.

He wasn't particularly close to her, but everyone in Possibility seemed to know him anyway. Being the former heir of the SeaWings wasn't much of a blessing in a small town like this one.

"Three moons, Aloe, you've gotta stop scaring me like that," he replied teasingly, his voice somewhat quieter and farther off than usual, sounding very unlike him. "I'm just going for a walk."

Aloe nodded and stepped back to where she's been sitting, probably keeping an eye on the injured while they slept.

"Alright, but stay off the wing or I may have to tie you to that cot," she replied in that tone of hers that made it hard to tell if she was joking or not. "You'd think you'd want to get some rest after an ambush, but you do you I suppose."

He gave her a sheepish half-grin and turned to the doorway again.

Before he left she spoke again, this time in all seriousness.

"You alright? You were talking in your sleep again. You also seem kind of dazed. I could give you something for shock if you want."

It was a question of genuine concern that hit him harder than it should've. Apparently, he wasn't as good at hiding his feelings as he thought he was.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be fine," he slurred quickly, whisking through the door. He felt Aloe's eyes on him as he left, most likely shadowed with concern. His talons felt numb while he walked, his mind wandering in every direction.

He'd push past his misery eventually, but not today.


	3. Excuses

A RainWing whisked through a crowd of dragons, some of which instinctively took a step or two away from him. Others simply gave him odd looks. He could feel his scales shifting against his will into the sickeningly familiar shade of dark purple they often did when he was around pretty much anyone. His living in the rainforest kingdom definitely wasn't by popular vote.

Macaw was cursed. This was something he was well aware of. 

Any hope he'd had of living a successful life had come crumbling down before he was even born.

His fate had been star-crossed ever since- as he had been told countless times during tear-filled support sessions from his family when he was younger after being avoided or yelled at- his mother, or rather her firstborn dragonet, had been cursed by an animus.

He didn't like to think about his situation much.

Pyrrhia had noticeably advanced to be a much more accepting continent in the past century or so. The unique band of dragons around him was living proof. There was Iris, the offwhite albino, and Larch and Cypress, in a relationship and both males to name a few, not to mention the many dragons in their territory alone with unusual injuries or disabilities.

The NightWings had long since left their shared kingdom- them living anywhere other than their new territory was history- but not before they left a few hybrids behind. Seeing a black dragon with multicolored speckles on their wings walking through the rainforest suburbs wasn't a rare sight anymore.

And yet no one seemed to want to even talk to Macaw- except of course his family- but he supposed they had a good reason.

It wasn’t his fault that he brought awful luck to everyone he was near except himself. It wasn’t his fault that when he was around, dragons sprained wings, got food poisoning, or fell flat on their faces. Nothing was his fault, but it sure felt like it. It was an awful thing to bear. 

This had always been hanging over his head, and he’d managed it grudgingly for nearly eighteen years. He’d even made some sort of progress with controlling it, finding that it mainly revolved around his emotions. But it wasn’t until he nearly got his sister killed that he knew he needed to leave the rainforest. 

Macaw had always been close to his family. No one ever really stuck around long enough to be friends with him, so he didn't have much of a choice. But between his parents and five siblings, his sister Civet was always his favorite. 

She was a year younger than him but was somehow much more mature and often came off as older than she was, often providing a grounding voice in the chaos of his life, which is why everything hit him particularly hard.

They'd been flying through the canopy one morning a few days ago, and out of nowhere, she'd been struck by a falling branch from a few feet above them. She'd been knocked to the ground unconscious, the heavy weight of it crushing her in the ribs. Macaw had frantically rushed away to find a healer. 

She'd mended Civet's broken bones, who had survived, but it was only barely and the massive cloud of guilt over him hadn't really faded and everything he'd been working towards to control his curse had come spiraling down. 

Macaw knew it was his fault, too. If a branch that large was loose they would've noticed. No, it didn't fall naturally, despite what his family assured him. It came with his burden.

He’d had a worse time with his karma than ever in the past couple of days, his mood gloomy and indifferent, and he was on his way to talk to Civet now. He sighed and continued to push through the crowd, which didn’t prove much of a challenge as it continued to disperse as he approached. He didn’t feel like flying, so he didn’t fly.

After a few minutes of walking, he reached a familiar clearing surrounded by cacao trees and bamboo stalks near the edge of the territory. He stared absentmindedly at the lemurs leaping around in the canopy before entering the air with a swoop of his large wings. He landed on the base of the treetop healers’ den he’d been visiting multiple times every day whenever he was feeling particularly upset about the incident. 

He walked inside and was relieved to see Civet awake and talking animatedly with Cassowary, the half-NightWing healer. The small dragoness grinned when she saw him, shifting herself stiffly to face him. Her ribs were still tightly bound in a cast but she seemed to be doing a lot better.

“Morning, idiot,” she greeted him cheerily, then added with a hint of sarcasm, “No get-well gifts for me today?”

"Haha, no, you already have enough," he replied, gesturing to the many fruits and flowers from loved ones brightening the room, the majority of them from himself.

He rolled his eyes and sat down next to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Same as when you checked on me last night. Pretty good, actually.”

“I’m really sorry about all this.”

“Macaw, like I’ve told you about fifteen times, it’s okay,” she reminded him with a bit of annoyance, stretching her wings. 

“But you could’ve died! You really don’t care?”

“I could’ve,” Civet said with a shrug, making Macaw narrow his eyes at her. 

"-but I’ve dealt with your little problem forever. If this is the worst you’re throwing at me, so be it. Sure it hurt like hell when I got crushed in the ribs with that godforsaken branch- well not even really a branch, three moons it felt more like an entire tree- but now that I’m pretty much healed-”

Cassowary interjected from where she had been quietly organizing supplies in the corner of the room while listening to them talk. “You’re not almost healed, nowhere near it actually. I think that’s just the painkillers speaking for themselves,” she called to them with a hint of amusement, not turning around.

“You still need to keep that cast on and stay here for another a couple of weeks so I can keep an eye on you.”

“Way to liven the mood,” Civet shot back, rolling her head back with annoyance.

Macaw watched the two dragonesses bicker lightheartedly about the seriousness of the injury for a few more minutes before Cassowary went back to her work and Civet groaned and turned to her brother, who was somewhat stunned.

“Sorry about that,” apologized bitterly to him. “This pearbrain is gonna get on my last nerve if I have to stay here forever.”

Macaw snorted, temporarily forgetting the reason he was there.

“Civet, I need to talk to you.”

Her pale yellow eyes widened slightly but she was still only half-alert.

“What, got a crush or something?” she quipped, obviously surprised at and not entirely used to his sudden seriousness. 

“No, idiot,” he replied, annoyed. He’d actually never had much interest in romance, unlike his sister who had rotated through more girlfriends than he could keep track of. “I’m leaving the rainforest.”

“What?” 

“I’m leaving.”

“I heard you, Macaw. I just don’t know why the hell you’d do that.”

Macaw stared at his talons, purposefully avoiding eye contact. The concern in Civet’s expression made him uncomfortable, and he could feel Cassowary's eyes on him. The fact that the healer could read minds didn't do much to help his nerves.

He tried to keep his thoughts numb and force his scales to resist splattering his emotions all over them like a big art display.

“Don’t tell me you don’t see it. Everyone hates me here. I can’t even walk through the kingdom without getting avoided or… or whispered about…” he trailed off.

Civet pulled him into a hug. “C’mere you big sap,” she told him affectionately, wrapping her wings around him. “You’re not leaving the rainforest.”

“Yes I am," he replied persistently, pulling away slightly. "I have to. It’s one thing when someone trips, or... eats a piece of rotten fruit every once in a while, but I almost killed you. If you had died... I-I don’t know...” 

The wall he'd established in his mind came crashing down.

Macaw groaned, shutting his eyes tightly and then opening them  
again.

“I’m sorry, Civet. I can’t stay here anymore. Tell everyone goodbye for me. And by everyone I mean our parents and siblings, not that anyone else’d care. I love you, but you’ll be safer with me out of the picture,” he slurred, shooting her an apologetic glance.

And Macaw stepped numbly out of the room, launching off of the wooden platform and into the sky. He glided over the canopy and only glanced back once, the many unintelligible emotions plastered on Civet's face only making him pump his wings harder until they hurt.


	4. Confrontations

Mako pushed through the small, bustling market outside of the infirmary and turned into the familiar alleyways and streets of the town he’d as good as adopted as a second home. Dragons clamored around him, but the SeaWing had grown used to the sounds of the city soon after he moved in. It was much less loud but somehow more chaotic than the Sea Kingdom, obviously the stray members of seven tribes smushed together in a small town had something to do with it.

Well, more or less six tribes. IceWing blood didn’t make many appearances here except through the occasional hybrid and, more recently, their ambush.

Marketers around him announced the prices of their merchandise, lively groups of friends chatted with each other over lunch, even a thief or two darted through the stalls. He watched a thin SandWing named Jackrabbit- who he recognized from wanted posters- snag some jewelry from a vendor out of the corner of his eye and flashed him a knowing smirk. He was on pretty good terms with most dragons in the city, even including the marauders somehow. The noise around him had grown to become a familiar hum as time passed.

Granted, the whispering was something that he didn’t appreciate.

Apparently, word had spread fast to those who hadn’t been around during the ambush. Mako felt dozens of eyes on him as he quickened his pace, holding his injured wing stiffly on his side. Many others had been affected, but it seemed like he was the one most were spreading rumors about. Of course, being a prince would target attention, but he was surprised their excitement over him hadn’t waned over so much time.

He shrugged it off and began to head down a familiar route to the somewhat small house he’d rented one of his first days in Possibility. It was kind of a breath of reality for him because he’d never really liked the large rooms and long hallways of the palace anyway. Mako figured if he was going to be staying in the infirmary with Aloe for a few days he might as well grab some things from home.

As he shut the wooden door behind him, he was greeted with the sound of pearls clicking with each other. He sighed and watched Seafoam’s necklace sway from where it hung from a hook on the frame. It was supposed to be used for holding keys or bags or whatever else, but instead, it served to display the bitter reminder of his sister’s fury with him lest he forget it.

About a week after he’d left the Sea Kingdom, Seafoam had sent out a search party. Upon finding him in the city, one of them had stayed behind to tail him until his sister could speak to him alone. She’d arrived in disguise- as yet another member of the SeaWing royal family dropping by spontaneously in Possibility wouldn’t help matters- and pulled him forcefully into an alley by the horns.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she’d hissed, practically ripping off the veil concealing her face, and pinned him on the sandstone wall behind them by the wings.

“Getting groceries,” he’d shot back through his teeth, shoving innocent bags of fruit and random items in her face angrily. “Or I _was_ before you kidnapped me.”

“Shut up, idiot, you know what I mean. Why are you _here_?”

“That’s none of your business. Point is, I’m not going back.”

“You have to come back,” she’d replied miserably, then corrected her tone and cleared her throat. “You have to come back or I’ll have to take your place as heir, and I can’t do that.”  
  
There was a flash of shared desperation between the two siblings for a split second as their eyes met. Neither one of them would be happy if the other was.  
  
They had never been as close as Mako was with Manatee, but in the rare moments they'd opened up to each other, Mako had grown to recognize when Seafoam was being genuine.  
  
“Why?” he asked, avoiding her order.  
  
“Nothing you’d understand,” she snapped, and didn't elaborate. “Point is, you’re going back. Easy way or hard way. You pick.”  
  
“Yeah, well, you see I’m not going back,” he replied, in a tone of mock consideration. He couldn’t return, not after everything.  
  
“Yes you _are_!” she’d roared, emphasizing the final word as she slashed his snout fiercely with her webbed talons.

Droplets of dark red speckled the sand under their talons, and searing pain flickered through him. His claws flew to his injury. “Why’d you do that?” he demanded, giving up on stopping the blood flow and squaring his stance.   
  
“I did that because you’re too much of a coward to come back. I thought I could talk some sense into you, but apparently, you need other methods. Your kingdom needs you." She paused. “I need you. And if you can’t get over him to help dragons who depend on you, you’re disgusting. He was born a deaf prince in the beginning stages of a war. He was young and a target from the start. He was bound to die at some point anyway, so don't dwell on it.”

Mako launched at her, furious. “Don’t you _dare_ talk about Manatee like that! It may not seem like it, but he's your brother too!”  
  
Her warning strike and words had unleashed something vicious inside him. He tore relentlessly at her scales while roaring at her and felt his talons break skin with satisfaction. She let out a sharp cry of pain.   
  
“He may be my brother," she began, her teeth clenched as she tried to knock him off of her, "but if you spent more time on your training than on him maybe none of this would’ve happened. Three moons, I knew you'd screw this up somehow. Maybe I was destined to be heir but in this lifetime it's your responsibility.”   
  
Mako merely glared at her as she fought back harder, knocking him to the ground. Her words made sense but he regretted nothing.   
  
He whipped around and pinned her to the sand. He forced a talon to her throat and didn't remove it as she choked. Mako pressed his claws delicately to her scales, preparing  
to slash them. He wouldn't kill her, but she didn't know that. Maybe it was time to teach her a lesson, to show her what he was actually capable of. Yes, he'd left the kingdom without finishing his combat training, but not before what he had learned got through to him.  
  
Seafoam used her back legs to knock his weight off of her and force him down. He gasped as he was thrown to the ground. "Death may take me, but you never will," she hissed, standing over him menacingly.  
  
He managed to escape from under her, and the two continued to spar fiercely in the sand until Seafoam had him pinned again. A small crowd had gathered by this point to watch. "Look at us, fighting with our claws like street dogs." She let go of his wings, teasing him, before forcing them down again. He winced as her talons made contact with his injury.  
  
"I think I've proven my point." She turned away from him coldly. "Now either come back with honor or make me show you what I've been training for."  
  
Mako tore a piece of jewelry from her neck with his teeth, catching her off guard, pearls flinging through the air across the alley. The ragtag group of dragons around them watched intently. He met her eyes fiercely. “I’ve already told you, I’m not going back, and you can't make me.”  
  
He kicked her hard in the face with his back legs and scrambled out from her grip. He launched into the air as she tried to put pressure on her now bruised snout with her talons.   
  
“Come visit,” he sneered, and flew off, watching the expression of pure fury in her eyes as he departed.

"Oh, I will," she hissed back at him quietly. He might not have heard it at all if he hadn't been listening, nevertheless, it made a feeling of uneasiness creep through him.  
  
Later he’d returned to the alley and pocketed the pearl necklace, now speckled with blood and sand. He cleaned it at home and tossed it miserably on his bed as he tended to his own injuries. Seafoam had apparently worked on her combat skills, as many of her blows had done damage. He hadn’t wanted it to come to a full-scale fight, but he had no choice. And in his defense, she’d started it. 

The thing she didn’t understand was that it wasn’t just his grief that had prevented him from returning. While the miserable feeling still sat grimly in the pit of his stomach, he’d actually made progress on moving past it. No, it was because of that and something else.  
  
A few nights after the incident on the beach, he’d seen flashes of light from the hallway outside his bedroom. He’d gone to investigate, and found himself face to face with a pale, transparent form of Manatee. Despite being able to see through him, the effects of the frostbreath were painfully clear.   
  
Frozen in shock, he watched dumbly as his brother flashed his scales in Aquatic. His mind had gone blank though, and rather than deciphering the meaning of his words, all he was processing were the dim lights gleaming in front of him. He stepped back into his room and collapsed onto his bed. Perhaps he was dreaming, missing Manatee so much that he was imagining him.

  
But then the next night, and many nights following, he had wandered into the corridor and was faced with the same melancholic-looking ghost. And after a few more weeks, it wasn’t just Manatee and it wasn’t just in the middle of the night or outside his room.   
  
Spirits followed him throughout the Sea Kingdom, day by day, week by week. Lost soldiers from the war, deceased dragonets, souls stolen by sickness. They’d speak to him occasionally, but simply hover most of the time. It was as if they were trapped in the mortal world, and Mako was the only one cursed with seeing them. And it wasn't like he could talk to anyone about them, either.   
  
It was almost impossible to get his responsibilities, or anything done for that matter. The loss of his brother was bad enough, but being forced to deal with the rest of the spirits was entirely different. Dragons looked at him differently, commented on how distracted he seemed.

He needed to clear his head. He needed the ghosts to leave him alone. The grief and anxiety he’d been forced to undergo was too much to hold on his shoulders. He felt outside of himself, miserable, like he was drifting. It was a dark place to be thrown into at such a young age.  
  
Finally he’d decided enough was enough, and left the Sea Kingdom in a haste. The ghosts didn’t follow, like they were bound to the tribe. He headed for Possibility to escape his problems. Once there, things had slowly adjusted to a new normal. He felt a lot better, but awful for leaving.  
  
The pearl necklace somehow made its way to the door frame since Seafoam's confrontation, kind of a mental vow to return to his kingdom eventually. 

Maybe he could finally face his problems head-on. Maybe his tribe would take him back with open wings. Maybe he could reestablish his relationship with his family. Maybe if he apologized Seafoam would forgive him, even if it took some time.  
  
He doubted it, but it gave him something to hope for.


	5. Travels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Civet and Seafoam have different methods of bringing back their dramatic runaway brothers.

Now away from the rainforest, Macaw had a lot of time on his own to reflect. On his family, on the cause of his affliction, on himself. One thing he found himself thinking about a lot was his parents and their connection with the animus who had single-handedly ruined his life.

His parents were together because of an arranged marriage. While it wasn’t a very common occurrence nowadays and they hadn’t known each other very well at first, the two RainWings had grown to love each other over the years as they started a family. But none of it was as simple then as it was now, according to what his parents had told him and the rumors he’d heard. It was actually somewhat of a well-known cautionary tale.

Despite being due to marry Macaw’s father, Fossa, Macaw's mother, Ocelot, had been in love with someone else. The one behind his misery, to be specific, an animus dragon named Quetzal. 

While his father loved his mother, it had initially been one-sided. Despite caring deeply for Fossa, Ocelot only had eyes for Quetzal, who she considered her soulmate. She kept her affairs more or less hidden as the date of her wedding approached, but eventually distanced herself from her boyfriend when she got married, mainly out of guilt.

However, she soon found she couldn’t shake her feelings for him, and her relationships with both of them became on and off. After going on like this for longer than she liked, she forced herself to make a decision, feeling massively terrible for playing Fossa, and stayed with him out of loyalty.

When Ocelot realized she was expecting a dragonet, she cut ties with Quetzal for good despite still being in love with him. 

Quetzal’s reaction was negative, to say the least. He’d been with Ocelot for years, and while aware of the situation with Fossa they were in, was very much in love. His feelings had overwhelmed him. A powerful animus in a state of heartache, he’d placed a curse on Macaw, dooming him to share his misery. Soon after, he’d realized her mistakes and left the kingdom. It was almost surreal to think about how Macaw's mere existence had caused so much hurt on both sides of the story before he was even born. Information on Quetzal after these events went down was limited; many things were unknown including his whereabouts or even if he was still alive.

The whole shebang revolving around Macaw's parents and their ties with Quetzal was one of the reasons romance didn’t appeal to him. It was too much of a hassle. Maybe if the right dragon rolled around one day he would think differently, but for the time being he pictured himself better off without all the emotion and commitment of it that his parents went through weighing him down. 

His parents told the story of Quetzal like it was a faint memory now, revisiting it with a nostalgic gleam in their eyes like they were retelling the silly adventures of their childhood. To Macaw, however, it was anything but. Of course, they didn't share these stories around him, but he'd heard. With no one to talk to he'd learned to listen.

Now somewhat of a wanderer with no destination, Macaw had made it a goal to search for the animus along the way. Perhaps he’d be able to repel his curse if he heard him out. He didn’t have high hopes but if he was traveling anyway he might as well try.

Macaw had been on his own for about a week now, moving from place to place as conditions required. He was staying on the edge of the rainforest now, sitting in a kapok tree and watching clouds drift across the sky, or at least what he could see of it through the canopy. 

The dense forest had thinned, the swamp of the MudWing kingdom now visible in front of his vantage point and the towering mountains to the left. Looking at the rest of the continent from the sheltered rainforest he’d grown up in made him feel pretty small. 

Civet had found him, once. She’d noticed him from where she’d been flying overhead and landed in front of him with a swoop of her massive wings and cornered him, nearly tripping on a root as she approached.

“There you are!” she’d said with a mixture of exasperation and relief, pulling him into an affectionate hug. He’d avoided her gaze but hugged her back. Instead of stating the obvious, he changed the subject before it came up. 

“Cassowary really let you come find me like that?” he commented, gesturing to her still-bandaged ribs, after all it hadn’t been more than a few days. 

“No,” she admitted, a mischievous grin playing on her features. “But I managed to sneak away during sun time. That’s not important, though. I’m gonna cut to the chase. I’m here to convince you to come back.”

Macaw groaned, watching his talons. He knew Civet well, and he wasn’t surprised she’d decided to search for him. He was actually expecting her to come pin him down and drag him home any day now. But he hadn’t planned what he’d say, so he remained silent and forced her to elaborate while he gathered his thoughts.

“...But I’m not going to force you to.”

This was something he wasn’t expecting. Given his sister’s unpredictable personality he’d half-pictured her grabbing him and flying off, but instead she was giving him a choice, of which he was silently grateful for. 

“You’re not?”

“No. I know you’re hell-bent this is something you have to do, and while I disagree I don’t think you’re gonna change your mind,” Civet explained with a hint of annoyance. 

“We can work on controlling your curse. Maybe soon it’ll hardly be a problem anymore. You can move back into the rainforest, I’m sure the others’ll understand. We've all been really worried about you, but I haven't been able to do anything about it until now because I've been stuck in the stupid infirmary. We'd love it if you could come back, at least for a little while.”

Macaw considered it for a moment but then sighed. “It’ll be too risky, Civet. I don't want to hurt you more than I have. I'm putting everyone in danger by staying because I think the curse is getting worse somehow. I’m sorry, but this is something I have to do.”

It pained him to think about his other family members, or more importantly, one of his younger siblings stuck in the same situation as Civet. He couldn't bear imagine his twelve-year-old brother Coati or his ten-year-old sister Leopard being put in jeopardy because of him. He was the oldest of his parents' dragonets and it was his job to protect the others. He didn't think unnecessarily risking their lives applied.

His sister’s face fell a bit but she hugged him again. “I guess I understand. To be honest I wasn’t very convinced that you’d come back anyway. Just… take care of yourself, okay? And at least give me a message to send back to everyone. You kind of just disappeared.”

Macaw nodded. “I promise I will. Don't forget I'm older than you, but it looks like you're going to have to take over for me while I'm gone,” he replied, his mood lifting a bit. “Tell everyone that I miss them and I love them. I’ll write whenever I can; maybe if I settle down somewhere permanently you guys can come visit.”

Civet grinned at him. “I’d love that.” She stepped away, preparing to fly off, then paused.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” she began, pulling a woven bag from under her wing with a huge smile. “We put this together in case you didn’t want to come back. Just some fruits and things from home, and blow darts if you need them. Oh, and money. You never know. We send love, hopefully this’ll last until you can start getting your own supplies.”

Macaw smiled back, appreciative that he had such a supportive family. “Aw, you guys are great, thank you.”

His sister laughed sheepishly. “Yeah, we are. Well, see you around, loser, better get back to the rainforest before Cassowary kills me,” she teased, hugging him for the third time since she’d arrived. 

And she’d launched into the air and flown back to the kingdom. 

Macaw had been replaying the scene in his head since she’d left, reminding himself that there were dragons who cared about him after all. He could go back, he knew his family would be there to support him, but he thought it was best not to put their safety in danger. 

Instead, he continued to travel for the next few days, setting up camp in the rainforest or in a cave in the mountains whenever he needed to. He hadn't had luck with finding Quetzal, but had ended up staying in a cabin near the peaks for a few days with a friendly old IceWing named Tomten. The supplies his family had sent turned out to be useful. He’d rationed the fruit and bought some things in different cities he’d wandered through, even used a dart to tranquilize a wolf at one point.

Now, during his travels, he’d wandered into Possibility. He’d heard of it from his parents and seen the scribbles on the map they had to study in school but had never left the rainforest long enough to see it in person. Intrigued and knowing he’d be welcome there- at least until he caused some kind of trouble- he headed into the city.

Apparently, he was better suited for the rainforest. The chaos of the ragtag desert town caught him off guard at first. Dragons whisked past him, crowds formed, he’d already been mugged- twice (luckily the darts were in a pouch around his neck). 

It was very different from the rainforest to say the least. He felt unimportant as others pushed past him and tripped. The one thing he liked about the city was that its population was enough to hide his curse. 

And then someone pulled him behind a wall. 

“You look out of place,” the stranger commented with a hint of amusement. Apparently, the fact that he wasn’t from here was more obvious than he’d hoped.

Macaw blinked, trying to see his face in the shadows. “I suppose. I’m, uh, actually from the rainforest.”

The dragon chuckled. “That’s no surprise. Not many RainWings around here. Anyway, come with me. I have somewhere you can stay, get used to city life. For free, don’t worry,” he added upon noticing the look on Macaw’s face. “I just like helping strangers. It makes me feel useful somehow in a place like this.”

While the stranger was suspicious, Macaw felt like he should trust him. He'd always been good at reading people, and this stranger seemed like he could make a goo dally, perhaps even a friend if he stuck around. He seemed nice enough, and he'd had luck trusting Tomten. Perhaps all of the new dragons he met along the way would end up on his side. And if the situation called for it he always had his darts.

“Alright,” he replied hesitantly. “I’m just gonna hope you’re not an assassin or something. And snatching me from the street and pulling me into an alley is some kind of first impression.”

The stranger laughed again. “I should probably work on that,” he replied. “No, I'm not an assassin, I’m actually somewhat of a runaway prince.”

And then the short SeaWing with the bandaged wing led him deeper into the heart of the city, both of them blissfully unaware that their chance meeting would set the course of the rest of their lives.


	6. Cloud Cover

_nearly two years ago..._  
  
Rain, as Tern had become aware of over the years, was never a good sign.  
  
Her theory had been confirmed many times in the past, ever since she’d been drafted into the army. So many unforeseen battles had taken place in the cover of a storm, heavy rain battering their scales, blood splattering the ground as consistently as the drops of water cascading from the foreboding gray clouds overhead.   
  
There never ceased to be tension within the walls of her own tribe, in which cries of treason and treachery were carried away by tempestuous gusts of wind, any cherished memories drifting.

Rain was somewhat rare in the tundra, but when a storm did come or when troops were sent to the more tropical shorelines, the result was never pretty. Many of her tribemates were lost to the curse that seemingly stemmed from the rain. Tern knew this from experience, having several loved ones brutally murdered, whether their enemies or their own tribe were held accountable for the tragedies.   
  
It was best not to dwell on it.  
  
Dragons were turned against each other, fearful of their hidden enemies. Tensions were understandably high when you were in the midst of the most bloodthirsty war your continent had seen for nearly a century. As long as the battles raged on, no one knew who to trust. The IceWings subconsciously formed tight circles within themselves, sticking to those they trusted and settling with avoiding anyone who they were skeptical of. 

Another bone she had to pick with the rain was that she’d more or less abandoned her dragonet in the downpour a few months ago, the cloud cover like a bitter reminder of what she was doing. Tern had left her on the edge of the tundra where it was safest and had fled.   
  
She was such a coward and she’d mentally berated herself for it, but the war called for all eligible IceWings to participate. Desertion was considered treason, and without a father to help raise her daughter she wasn’t in a good position.   
  
Peppermint’s father had been a SkyWing and had walked out on both of them when he found out she was pregnant. And now she was doing the same to her dragonet, abandoning her when she needed her mother most. 

Tern’s marriage with Cinnabar had been hanging by a thread even before, and this was the breaking point. They'd been in love, once, but any good memories now were history. Three moons, her daughter would hate both of them, with good reason.   
  
Tern felt more awful than she could comprehend, but in the midst of a war, there wasn’t much she could do. She happily wished Azure and her royal family to rot in hell for pretty much starting it by killing Permafrost.  
  
A crack of thunder shook Tern out of her thoughts, and a tremor of uneasiness rolled gradually down her spine. She turned her head instinctively, dilated pupils highlighted with the glow of lightning darting around the environment, surveying the area.   


She drew a sharp intake of breath. If the storm and thinking about her broken family hadn’t made her uncomfortable enough, the shore was a humid place during the spring, which was not pleasant to someone used to living in the subzero temperatures of the Ice Kingdom. It made Tern's usually frigid scales- formerly cold to the touch and comforting away from her home in the tundra- feel hot and prickly, and she was pissed.   
  
She had been temporarily distracted by the storm that seemed to loom over her, which was not a good thing. Being distracted during espionage, even for a moment, meant she’d be dead. This was a threat that plagued the back of her mind at all times. They were in enemy territory, and getting lost in her thoughts could have easily cost her her life. Luckily the thunder had brought back her alertness before it was too late, and even if it hadn’t she had a patrol to back her up.

Once Tern was able to grasp her surroundings, everything came rushing back to her in a hurry. She was away from the Ice Kingdom. She allowed herself a feeling of relief, glad to temporarily rid herself of living in the horrible tension, but this emotion didn’t last long. Tern was with two other IceWings, Borealis and Beluga, and the actions they chose next would most likely determine the fate of their tribe.   
  
They were on a mission. The three dragons had landed on the shoreline moments ago. The rain, in this situation, had been helpful for once, as they were hidden by a storm as well as the cloak of darkness that came from leaving well before dawn. This way they were less likely to get caught, moons forbid it.   
  
A plan- created by Queen Taiga, the leader of the IceWings- was proposed in hopes of claiming a surrender from their enemies by force. 

The war had gone on for too long and made everyone restless and tense. The SeaWings had fought relentlessly through their attacks, so they had been forced to come up with a different strategy: the element of surprise. The plan was not in motion yet- otherwise, there would be many more soldiers with them on the beach- but the information the three gathered during this mission would play a vital role in it. They were here, soaked, uncomfortable, and tired, to seek out the best route for an ambush on the Summer Palace.   
  
Beluga shifted uncomfortably beside Tern, her talons creating a soft crunch as they dug into the sand. The two of them were pressed closely together, hiding in the shadows of a cave on the beach. They were waiting for a moment before continuing their mission- sneaking into enemy territory was dangerous enough, they couldn’t risk being caught- making sure there were no witnesses.

Borealis was eying the entrance to the cave with anticipation, clutching his dagger tightly with his jaws parted dangerously. He looked sinister enough already without the few dull beams of light from the stars seeping in through cracks in the stone, highlighting the thin, jagged blue scar trailing from his eye to his belly. Tern shuddered.  
  
The three of them waited in silence for another few heartbeats, holding their breath, not daring to speak. The only noise was the distant crashing of the steady, undulating waves that looked almost black in the cover of night. Eventually, Borealis placed his dagger back into the sheath around his arm. His stance relaxed slightly as he whispered, “Coast is clear.”  
  
Tern's heart picked up as she and Beluga quickly joined him as he swept out of the cave. The three stalked along the outside edge of their temporary hiding place, one after another in a tight line. They were so close to the cave wall that Tern’s scales pressed roughly against the stone. They slunk through the shadows, the strong waves masking the sound of their curled talons in the sand. The tide was lowering. They needed to move quickly before sunrise.   
  
And then they came face to face with two SeaWing dragonets laughing and splashing each other as they flew out of the water. The princes. Three moons, they were screwed.   


_meanwhile_

  
  
The hazy silhouettes of two dragons streaking across the desert contrasted blotchily against the sun-streaked sand. The reds and oranges of the dawn light peeking over the dunes highlighted their unreadable expressions as they ran, their steady movements almost in sync, like two halves of the same whole. They didn’t dare fly, it was too much of a risk.   
  
They were on the run from their own tribe. More specifically, their queen.   
  
Ever since a tyrannical leader by the name of Taipan had ascended the throne, the lives of hybrids in the desert kingdom had been made not only miserable but put into jeopardy. Intent on purifying the SandWing bloodline, Taipan and her followers had more or less forced those with cross-tribe blood underground.   
  
Fennec had been just a dragonet when the SandWing Hybrid Trials began, and it was just about the worst time to be born into the kingdom. He’d met Solstice and her family while in hiding, and the stakes had risen drastically since then.   
  
The vicious war between the IceWings and SeaWings had caused the struggle in the desert to be more or less brushed aside and left to be dealt with by the only tribe it affected. Even sleeping was a challenge, as someone had to keep watch at all times. Anyone who even could have traces of cross-tribe blood in their family was forced into a life of distrust and hiding. It was awful.  
  
Fennec's father was a RainWing, and Solstice's mother was half NightWing. While Solstice might be able to pass as a regular SandWing by hiding her star-speckled wings, she was still in unimaginable danger if exposed.  
  
Fennec's parents had been discovered and executed for him. Solstice’s parents- and his godparents- had brought him, still in shock and filled with grief, into their home, and without them, he wasn't sure where he'd be now. Most likely dead.

They'd covered for them after they told them their plan and escaped the desert, promising to meet them in Possibility in a few nights. He wondered grimly if they'd survived.  
  
Solstice was basically his sister even before he’d been adopted by her parents as they were always close family friends. He remembered the days when the trials were just a far-off concept to their innocent dragonet selves. Now on the run, it was a bitter reality. No exaggeration, he’d die for Solstice. Unironically, with the stakes, it was likely that he might have to.  
  
His limbs started to ache but he was prepared to make that sacrifice. They were on the run, and they needed to keep running. No matter what happened he'd stick with her, but first, they needed to put some distance between them and this hellhole before they got caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been way too long since an update i'm so sorry-


	7. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> been a long time since an update so here's two more chapters

Mako and Manatee sat together on a flat stone overlooking the sea, watching the steady rise and fall of the waves as the sun began to peek out from the horizon. The atmosphere was strangely still and foreboding, and the shore seemed to be completely silent except for the peaceful sound of the crashing ocean. 

“The ocean is beautiful today,” Mako commented in Aquatic, making sure his brother was paying attention before flashing his scales. He paid careful attention to the patterns, which he’d learned specifically for Manatee. He wouldn’t have learned more than the basics of the silent language had he had a choice, but for his younger brother’s sake, he was willing to do whatever it took.

Manatee replied with only a thoughtful nod. Mako’s deaf brother was a dragon of few words, no pun intended, which made the things he did say have a greater impact. Despite being young, he’d spent a lot of time reading and had a surprisingly good grasp of life.

Their parents were the king and queen of the Sea Kingdom, making them princes. However, fate had presented drastically different futures for them. The tradition of fighting to the death for the throne had been removed over the years for the sake of humanity. The new generation had created a new, less cruel way to find an heir to the throne. The king and queen would choose the heir out of their dragonets. If the heir was male, the king would have more authority, and if their heir were female, it would be the other way around.

His parents had chosen Mako as the heir to the kingdom out of their two dragonets, destined to become king and lead the SeaWings into an era of greatness. Meanwhile, Manatee was seen as worthless with his disability, a burden to the royal family. Mako hated the conclusion that their parents had made about Manatee. Even though his family saw him as nothing, he was perfect in the eyes of his older brother, and he would always protect him. Always.

“Want to go for a swim?” Mako suggested, attempting to break away from his grim thoughts about what their heavy futures held. 

Manatee’s face lit up and he leapt to his talons. “Sure!” he answered, his scales flashing with excitement. Without waiting for a reply from his brother, he launched himself into the ocean.

Mako chuckled with amusement at Manatee’s antics for a moment, after all he was a few years younger and still as excitable and innocent as everyone was at that age, then followed his lead and dove into the water. 

The ocean was beautiful. Beams of sun entered the water from the surface, illuminating the SeaWings with sunlight. A school of tropical fish swam past them, parting to avoid the dragons, and colorful coral decorated the ocean floor. Mako glided toward his brother with a mischievous grin. “Race you to the kelp forest,” he dared him, lighting up the bioluminescent scales on his wrists and snout. 

Manatee snorted. “Eat my dust,” he replied, and began to propel himself through the water with his wings.

Mako sped after him, catching a current and giving himself an advantage. Now a distance ahead of Manatee, he rapidly swished his tail, temporarily blinding his brother with an array of bubbles. As he looked behind him, he noticed Manatee angrily call him a cheater with a fierce gesture of his talons.

Mako snickered and continued to torpedo himself through the ocean, the forest of tall kelp triumphantly coming into view. Right as he was confident in his victory, Manatee whisked past him at full speed and disappeared into the kelp. After a heartbeat, he bursted back out of the tall underwater plants and did a delighted flip. Mako opened his mouth to protest, but decided to let him have the win.

“HA!” Manatee flashed triumphantly. “What did I tell you?”

Mako replied with merely an amused shake of his head and a grin. “C’mon, let’s get back. Everyone’s probably wondering where we are.”

As the two SeaWings swam back to the beach, Mako wished he could be as carefree as he was now forever, to escape from the pressuring responsibilities of being the future king that never ceased to weigh him down. 

However, the playful aura from his race with Manatee vanished completely as soon as they reached the surface. Something was wrong. Mako gazed at the sky for a moment, then heard a chilling sound drawing closer: wingbeats. He frantically searched the air, a feeling of uneasiness creeping across his scales. Then he noticed something that made him freeze. IceWings.

The SeaWings had been in the midst of a war with the IceWings for almost four years now, and Mako was aware that the enemy tribe was vicious and coldblooded. He ducked back under the waves, surveying the sky from the blurry view that the surface granted him. A patrol of about five or six dragons was landing on the beach. 

Mako halted, but Manatee was still blissfully unaware of the looming threat, laughing as he bounded across the sand, his talons slipping under him a bit as they sunk. 

Three moons.

He and the leader of the group locked eyes for a flickering moment and time seemed to stop. He noticed something weird in her gaze, something like fear but not really. He realized the IceWings were probably in as bad a situation as he and Manatee were. They must be witnesses.

Now aware of their importance to the IceWings’ mission, whatever it was, Mako pulled Manatee by the wing and started running across the sand, taking a side path through the nearby rainforest to shake them off their trail.

The two ran steadily beside each other. Mako’s side was aching with sharp pain and his breath was shaky but he didn’t even care. He needed to get Manatee to safety and warn his parents.

And then it happened. He’d gotten ahead without checking to make sure his little brother was behind him, distracted by his thoughts. Manatee’s leg was caught on a root sticking out of the ground that Mako had skimmed over, and was now scrambling in the sand to get untied.

Mako’s eyes darted to the entrance of the forest. He froze as he noticed their pursuers barreling after them. The dragoness in the lead had coldness in her eyes, intent to kill. It might just be his sympathy speaking, but perhaps she had some ulterior motive that came from this mission.

“MANATEE!” Mako roared, forgetting that he was deaf for a heartbeat. He clambered down a hill and through trees to reach his brother, scratching at the root around Manatee’s foot with a mixture of determination and pure terror.

His brother seemed to be aware of the danger he was in now, panic in his eyes. He tried helplessly to get untangled, tugging at his leg while keeping an eye on the IceWings. 

“Leave me.”

Mako gawked at him. “No. No Manatee, no. I’m not leaving you. We need each other.”

“Please. I know I’m not going to get out of this alive, even if I do get out of these stupid roots. Don’t die for me.”

Mako’s mouth hung open dumbly. “Manatee, I-”

“Please, Mako. Do it. Now.”

Mako obliged against his will. “Try to stay hidden,” he told him, his voice shaking. Manatee shoved him away and Mako launched into the sky, flying as fast as he could to get help if they had a chance of saving him. He needed to find Seafoam.

Several minutes later, after skidding into the palace, alerting his parents, and grabbing his older sister, the two of them were flying side by side. Mako continued to beat his wings despite how sore they were. His brother was in danger, and it was his fault.

They swooped into the clearing where he’d left him. The IceWings had departed. Mako’s heart wrenched at the sight of Manatee in the sand, frostbreath spreading over his scales.  
“Three moons, Mako,” Seafoam told him bitterly, rushing toward their barely alive brother, who was looking up at them with too much effort. “What the hell did you do?”

Mako gasped. Another stupid dream, this one more lifelike and haunting than the last. He looked around, his heart rate returning to normal, as Macaw gave a sleepy mumble from the other side of the room.

He’d been living with the RainWing for a few weeks now, who’d proven to be a good roommate and friend. He wasn’t exactly sure why he’d picked him up off the street out of the blue, but something called him to the other. Fate, maybe. Or the fact that he hadn’t had much interaction with others in a long time.

Voices from outside dragged him out of his half-asleep aura by the tail. He got up, tripping over nothing as he walked past Macaw. He watched him warily. He was a great dragon to hang out with, but his curse problem was definitely something to get used to. Nevertheless, a few bruises every now and then was always better than what had gone down in the Sea Kingdom.

Maybe they could help each other with their problems together. Maybe that’s what Mako needed, someone to confide in about his trauma. He shrugged, stumbling cautiously around furniture. He pressed his ear to the door, trying to pick up anything from the conversation he could.

A feeling of dread hit him like a rock in the pit of his stomach. Three moons. One of the voices was Seafoam, yelling as she’d been doing frequently. Her supposed vendetta against him apparently hadn’t faltered.

Suddenly Macaw shot up, his eyes wide. He scrambled over to the door, also placing his ear against it, shifting himself so he could stand next to Mako without stepping on him.

The taller dragon seemed to be excited. Mako looked at him curiously. “Morning, sunshine. What’d you hear that woke you up early for once?”

“Someone I know, how bout you?” He listened intently as the other voice picked up. It sounded like two dragonesses bickering. 

“My sister,” Mako replied grimly.

Macaw looked at him curiously. “Really? Me too. Why do you sound so upset about it?”

“She kind of wants to kill me. Well, not necessarily kill me, but she wants revenge. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did.”  
Macaw’s eyes widened a bit, but he didn’t get a chance to question him as the door slammed open. 

Sure enough, Seafoam had rammed the door down, and standing next to her, somewhat apologetically, was a RainWing he didn’t know.

“Civet! How are you?” Macaw greeted happily as the two embraced each other.

“Eh, doing pretty good. Ribs are almost healed, but you-know-who’s keeping me in the stupid infirmary anyway. More importantly, how are you? And who’s this?” she asked, nodding to Mako.

The rest of their conversation became a hum to Mako. He was more focused on Seafoam, who was staring him down coldly.


	8. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot has happened in the past few weeks, and not just to mako and macaw

I’m writing this letter to get some thoughts on paper that I can’t figure out for myself. It’s something I’d do a lot, back when everything was normal. Hide out in my room and write furiously about whatever was making me upset. It was my way to vent when no one listened. 

I’m really an idiot.

Everyone I cared about is gone. My brother, my father, the love of my life. My loneliness made me turn my back on the world. I felt isolated despite being surrounded by others. Drifting.

I’d gone to Possibility again to try to bring him back. Everything in my common sense told me that he wouldn’t come back with me, despite my efforts. I’ve tried so many times, but nothing is working. And yet I still try. Something I learned back at home was that giving up wasn’t an option. I often had to prove myself to make up for my lack of attention, and look at me now. Queen. 

The title still makes me sick to my stomach. I never wanted to be queen. I knew he’d screw up somehow. 

I was in the market, asking around for him. I knew he lived here, somewhere, but he’d never been dumb enough to reveal where. And then you came along. Looking for your brother. Something about visiting him, nothing I fully registered. RainWing, subdued, tall. I didn’t spend much time looking at RainWings, so of course I hadn’t seen him. But I still came with you, somewhat blindly, to help.

Something drew me to you, something I hadn’t fully been aware of that day. You gave me an escape from reality the weeks we spent together. One could say I grew a soft spot for you. Actually, that’s an understatement. I’m absolutely, head over heels in love with you. I want to tell you someday, but it’s not the right time. Not in the middle of all of this. 

But it’s too soon. Way too soon. It’s only been a year or so since he died. I’m about to have a dragonet. I’m the queen of the Sea Kingdom, it’ll bring my reputation even further down to go pining after a RainWing commoner. And yet, I fell hard for you. I feel absolutely ridiculous, and I hope you’ll never find this stupid letter, but my feelings, no matter how much I deny them, never cease to exist. 

I’ve only known you for a few weeks, but it feels like it’s been my whole life. Like you were a part of me that I needed to find for myself. It took me so long to recover from everything I’ve been through. I was still in a trance, but the light in your eyes and the way you talked to me like a friend made it seem like everything was alright, or at least that everything would be. In my moment of vulnerability I’d let my guard down, and now, now things are messed up.

One of the reasons my visit to Mako was so delayed was that I wanted to spend every moment with you. I’d just met you, you’re still basically a stranger, and I still was flustered by your smile.

As Mako probably thinks, I’m a heartless, soulless dragon with no emotions. The thing is, that’s only because I hide them. Inside, I’m broken. Trapped in a web of grief, vengeance, pain, love. Emotions that I don’t even let myself see. I grew up thinking that royals didn’t have time for their personal anguish. I’d call what I’m going through a midlife crisis at the age of 21. 

I want to tell you how I feel, let out all my emotions that I’ve been balling up, but I can’t do that. Growing up, venting wasn’t really an option. My parents were distant, my brothers had formed an unconscious alliance on their own. And confessing, at least to some extent, was something I’m great at. I’m so scared. 

And three moons, what will the kingdom think? It’s not like you can marry into the throne with me. It’s supposed to be king and queen. They’d never let me take a dragoness, let alone a RainWing. Why can’t I just be normal, love someone who my tribe would actually accept? I’ve considered running, but I wouldn’t sink that low. They need me. There’s no one else in line for the throne, except of course Gentoo but he’s barely a few months old. I’m thinking too far ahead anyway. I’m a stranger to you.

You, you, you. What am I even doing?

Moons, I’m so, so stupid. Give me a sign, anything, that I’m not wasting my time. 

-

Seafoam glared at Mako coldly. He very well made her blood boil. When they were younger, he still got on her nerves, but now it was personal.

He shrunk slightly in his stance. Good. She’d intimidated him.

“Mako. C’mere,” she commanded quietly, gesturing away from him and not caring less about Civet and her family reunion on the other side of the room.

He obliged expressionlessly, following her over to the other corner. 

“What is it this time? Seafoam, you need to stop.”

His words hurt unintentionally like daggers. She hated being talked to like a dragonet, or a mental patient. She was very much sane, but had ambition.

“Please, come back.”

Mako groaned. “I’ve told you so many times, I can’t.”

“Why? Why can’t you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he replied, not meeting her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Seafoam glared at him. “You wouldn’t understand, you wouldn’t understand. I’ve been through more than you think I have. Please. You don’t have to take the throne, just come back.”

She saw him shift his talons guiltily. She sighed loudly. “Fine. I’ve tried so many times to bring you back, both peacefully and the other way around. I’m giving up. Don’t talk to me ever again. You’ve single handedly destroyed everything I had to live for. You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Mako. I’m absolutely miserable. But fine. I’m going back to the kingdom and my dragonet. I’m not wasting any more time with you.”

“Dragonet?” he met her eyes, sitting up a bit.

She nodded silently. She felt hot, like she was about to cry, but three moons, she was queen. Emotions were stupid.

“Moons, Seafoam. Permafrost’s?” 

She nodded again. 

“You’re gonna be in a lot of trouble. ‘Kingdom’s not gonna like that.”

“I know, Mako. But there’s nothing I can do. I’ve stopped caring. I have a kingdom to run, and whether they want me or not they don’t have a choice. You’re an uncle now. Congrats,” she said dryly. “Goodbye. I don’t even want to look at you right now.”

She felt his gaze on her as she departed, walking over to stand beside Civet who gave her some form of reassurance. At least there was someone in this godforsaken world who cared about her.


	9. Delays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gonna try to update more regularly ahah-

Fennec and Solstice had been on the run for nearly a month now. They hadn’t really kept track of the exact amount of time that had passed, but they knew it was long enough for someone to know they were gone. 

Someone, specifically, meant Taipan. She’d kept close tabs on the tainted blood in her kingdom, and it wasn’t often the two had a good night’s sleep because of this. They were on constant alert, relocating themselves from place to place at the first sign of anything that could be a threat. They couldn’t afford to take risks, not when their lives were at stake.

They’d stayed in Possibility for a few days before coming to the grim realization that their parents weren’t meeting them. Fennec could only assume the worst, which made his throat tighten at the thought.

He was keeping watch outside their makeshift campsite in the woods for the night. They rotated through this role so they both got enough sleep to manage. His eyes traveled from the blurry shape of Solstice’s back rising and falling steadily in sleep. Then he stared at the other dragon, who was writing messily on a dirt-stained scrap of parchment in the dim glow of candelight.

Peppermint. 

They’d run into her on their way back from Possibility, and she’d quickly explained that even though she was an IceWing she wasn’t afflicted with the war (the SandWings were allied with the SeaWings). Actually, she was a hybrid like themselves. Part SkyWing. Apparently, she’d been living near the tundra and left to search for another meaning to life, whatever that meant.

They’d accepted her into their ragtag group without much hesitation. The more eyes and ears, the better. She’d pretty much stayed out of their way as they traveled and helped out whenever she could, although sometimes her actual ability didn’t catch up to her motivation. She had neither fire nor frostbreath, as the elements cancelled each other out, and wasn’t well adjusted to living outside of the Ice Kingdom, but it was hard not to appreciate her effort. 

She did prove valuable in planning their routes and managing time, though, something that had contributed greatly to staying hidden. She’d also brought something else, maybe something more valuable: optimism, or at least some form of it.

Peppermint made it seem like maybe they’d get out of this alive after all, like there was a chance. Both Solstice and Fennec admired her greatly.

As if she knew he was thinking about her, the reddish-pink dragoness stretched and approached him.

“Hey, ‘mint. Whatcha doing up so early?” he greeted, trying to wake himself up a bit.

She acknowledged him with a nod of her head. “Want me to keep watch for you? I’ve gotten enough sleep, you need it more than I do.”  
“That’d be great, thank you,” he replied, yawning. 

“Mhm,” Peppermint hummed, taking Fennec’s vantage point. “Oh, also, I’ve been planning out some things for when we have to move again. Maybe we should try heading north, toward the tundra. It’s where the SandWings’d probably be most hesitant to go ‘cause of the temperatures, and I know the land like the back of my talons. ‘Been living there my whole life.”

“That’s a thought,” Fennec agreed. “We’ll have to ask Solstice about it in the morning, but good idea. She and I probably need to get some blankets and stuff first so we don’t freeze our tails off.”

Peppermint chuckled lightly as he started to head over to sleep beside his companion. “Alright. Night, Fennec.”

“Night.”

-

A spark of electricity flashed through Seafoam as her wing accidentally brushed Civet’s. She shot the other dragoness a quick apology that was dismissed casually and stiffened a bit. Moon, she needed to get a hold of herself.

It was night and they were walking through the market, strings of colorful lanterns and lights lining the air between the stalls. It would’ve been gorgeous if the situation was different. Seafoam had cut ties with Mako. Civet had visited Macaw. That was the point of them spending time together in the first place. Surprisingly, she wasn’t as upset as she thought she’d be about her brother. That was because she supposed now- despite how much she didn’t want to accept it- was the time she and Civet went their separate ways.

She was the queen of the SeaWings, as she reminded herself every time she found her thoughts occupied by a certain RainWing more than they should be. She didn’t have time for this. Civet was a commoner. She needed to return to the rainforest. It wasn’t like she could come with her. 

Seafoam clutched the letter absentmindedly in her talons. She didn’t know why she’d kept it. It was like a security blanket now, bringing her some kind of reassurance that her thoughts were on paper. She felt numb. Why did the world hate her?

“So, uh, what’s the plan now?”

Civet’s voice distracted Seafoam from her thoughts.

“For what?” 

She knew perfectly well what the RainWing meant, but she wanted to push away the reality of it as much as she could.

“Us, I guess. I mean, you probably gotta get back to the throne, so, uh, I won’t bother you anymore,” Civet replied somewhat hastily, as if she was in the way of Seafoam returning. If only she knew. Shades of crimson were creeping onto her scales as if she was… embarrassed? Seafoam hadn’t seen this color on her much, so she wasn’t sure, but her expression and the way she was walking seemed to confirm her suspicions. She supposed she was good at reading others. “Who’s running the kingdom right now, anyway?”

“That'd be Caspian, my advisor. I trust him. Gentoo’s not old enough to manage the kingdom, obviously,” Seafoam joked lightheartedly. If only she could confide in Mako like this. “One of our old family-friends is keeping an eye on him for me. He’ll be okay until I get back. I made sure arrangements for everything were in place before I left.”

“Smart,” Civet commented, shuffling her talons. She seemed oddly quieter than usual, like she wasn’t saying everything on her mind.

“You’re not bothering me, Civet,” Seafoam assured her. 

Civet met her eyes and smiled softly. Seafoam’s face was burning. 

“I think,” she continued, heart racing and unbelievably flustered, “Since it’s on the way anyway, I mean, it’s only fair for me to give you a, uh, royal escort back to the rainforest. Y'know, make sure you get back safe or whatever. If you want me to.” Hopefully her tone could be interpreted as something other than what it was.

Civet grinned again, her face lighting up as hues of pink and yellow splattered over her scales. Seafoam had spent enough time with her to know that meant she was happy, so at least her suggestion had worked. “Aw look, the grumpy queen cares about me,” she quipped, unaware of how true it was. “I’d love that, really.”

Seafoam smiled back a bit, thinking about how absolutely screwed she’d be if she were a RainWing and her emotions were on display for all to see. 

And then Civet pulled her into a tight hug. Seafoam had witnessed countless Civet hugs- most often given to Macaw- but had never been given one. It was definitely as amazing as it looked. Seafoam, blushing madly and still somewhat in shock, instinctively returned it, wrapping a wing around the other. Civet had obviously meant it as a friendly thing, but to Seafoam, it was so much more. 

When they broke apart, the warmth was still there. Seafoam’s scales were tingling in a good way. She often fantasized them together somehow, a kind of an alternate reality where she could sink into Civet’s embrace whenever she needed it. Maybe she wouldn’t be so touch-starved if she had someone like that. If only. 

They continued walking, heading toward the border. Despite everyone else brushing through the gravel streets, Civet was the only one in the city. The dancing lights highlighted her green eyes and the curves of her long face. Unbeknownst to her, she was absolutely goddamn beautiful, which twisted Seafoam’s insides in knots. She wished it could be like this all the time, just her and Civet. Minus the things that stood in their way.

Their eventual separation was unavoidable, but at least she’d delayed it enough to trick herself into thinking it would never happen.


	10. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mako and macaw have a heart to heart and seafoam is sleep-deprived
> 
> hey! it's been awhile! I have like three chapters written up that I didn't post for some reason so be prepared for a lot more content!

Macaw smiled warmly as Civet headed away from him, Seafoam walking stiffly by her side. It was always nice to see his sister, even if only for a short visit. Hopefully there’d be more to come.  
  
And then he turned around and noticed the complex expression on Mako’s face. Apparently it hadn’t gone well with Seafoam. Macaw’s good mood faltered slightly at being naturally drawn to help those he cared about.   
  
He was a people pleaser and a mediator, and that often meant the emotions of others played back on himself. His scales shifted purplish-orange as he approached the SeaWing.  
  
“Hey, what happened? You’re upset, I can tell.”

“Nothing really,” Mako lied through his teeth, trying to push past him. When met with a dubious look from the other, he elaborated.   
  
“Well. Actually Seafoam isn’t talking to me ever again. In a way it’s worse than the time she attacked me,” he said, words tumbling out of his mouth as he absentmindedly felt the small scar on his snout she’d given him. “At least then there was some chance of sorting things out. But now, I don’t know. She doesn’t usually change her mind.”  
  
“Wow,” Macaw replied, concern edging his voice. He sat down on one of the pillows scattered around the flat to make himself level with the shorter dragon. “Did… did you tell her about the ghosts?”  
  
Mako’s eyes traveled somewhere behind them, and Macaw knew the answer. 

“Oh. Well, no wonder. You’re going to have to tell her sometime. It’s the only way she’d understand. Just dancing around it doesn't work,as you can probably tell.”  
  
“I know. But it’s different. The only reason I told you is 'cause you can relate on some level. With your curse and all.”  
  
As if on cue, Mako smacked his head on a pillar while gesturing to Macaw.   
  
“Sorry."   
  
“No worries,” Mako replied, shrugging it off and nonchalantly grabbing some ice before sitting next to the RainWing. He’d more or less gotten used to the everyday risks of living with him, starting to keep first aid supplies in the cabinets. Macaw was surprised he let him stick around. It'd be a lot less effort.   
  
"Anyway, maybe that’s what’s going on with me. A curse,” Mako continued, searching Macaw’s yellow gaze for some sort of confirmation. “But Seafoam would just think I’m losing my mind. I’m not ready to tell her yet. We were never that close, anyway.”  
  
“Yeah, I know. Really sorry about that. But you probably need to confront this at some point,” he pressed, locking eyes with him. “You’ve helped me somewhat control my problem- let alone given me a rent-free place to live- I need to return the favor. Maybe I could help you.”  
  
“Thanks, Macaw,” Mako replied. “You’re great.”  
  
Macaw chuckled lightly and rolled his eyes, glad he’d been able to cheer him up. He’d got him figured out. “Yeah, minus the curse thing. Maybe you and Civet need to start a fan club.”   
  
  
“Shut up, I mean it,” the SeaWing insisted, punching his shoulder playfully with the arm he wasn’t using to hold the ice. “It’s been   
nice having someone around to talk to.”  
  
“Right back atcha,” Macaw smiled, shoving him back. “But if all else fails, I’m making my parents adopt you. Maybe taking a break from being sad and hanging around a band of RainWings is just what you need.”  
  
Mako only grinned.  
  
~  
  
Seafoam and Civet had made the decision to stay in a neither roomy nor cramped cave near the peaks of the Claws of the Clouds for the night. In between the desert and the rainforest, the mountains seemed like a decent stopping point in their travels.  
  
Seafoam was doodling with some mud on the ledge she was using as a vantage point. She couldn’t sleep, which didn’t come as much of a surprise. She was only half paying attention to her drawing, though. Most of her attention was directed toward thinking about her son. And the wellbeing of a RainWing.  
  
Her eyes traveled as they often did to Civet, who was asleep in a corner below her, wrapped in a few thick blankets they’d bought at the market yesterday. The sight made her heart twist a little. She looked beautiful, to say the least. Seafoam wished she could fall asleep like that and forget her troubles in her dreams for just one night. It seemed like the world was against her on that, too.  
  
She pulled an alpaca wool blanket closer to herself as a frigid breeze brushed past her. Despite it nearly being winter, the shore always seemed to bring tropical weather. Apparently this wasn’t the case for the mountains, though, especially not near the peaks. It took a lot of effort to keep herself from bundling up next to Civet instead of   
sleeping on a cold, isolated ledge.  
  
She sighed quietly and found her talons absentmindedly tracing the delicate features of her companion into the stone as she wondered vaguely what would come next.   
  
Eventually she pulled herself out of her mind before she started overthinking.  
  
"Night," she muttered, more to herself than anyone in particular, trying one more time to get some sleep before dawn.  
  
  
  
  



	11. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we get more into permafrost and seafoam's relationship and some other stuff

Pale orange clouds drifted across the dawn sky, the morning light accenting the blurry figures of two dragons soaring across the horizon.

“Got another one. Would you rather be blind or deaf?”

“Uh, probably deaf,” Seafoam answered tiredly, not thinking much. She hadn't ended up getting much sleep. Enough to fuction, though.

Wait. Being deaf got Manatee killed.

"Actually no, blind. It’d be awful not to see anything but I heard that some of your other senses can get better. But then again, I can’t imagine not seeing other dragons, like Gentoo, or…”

You.

“Fair point. Honestly I’ve never had an answer for that one.”

Civet and Seafoam were flying. They were at the part of their journey where it was the most efficient way to travel. Tedious as it was, flying gave Seafoam a lot of time to think.

Mainly about her son. She knew he was probably fine, but she didn’t realize how much she missed him until now. She wished she could drag out this journey forever, but Gentoo- and her kingdom- needed her.

But other things also occupied her thoughts, too. Things too abstract to put into words. Her mind had always been like that. Flashes of visuals and emotions rather than fully-fleshed-out sentences. Complete disorder. She’d managed to get her life straight, but her mental health was nowhere near. Apparently there were other things about her that weren't straight, either.

It was one of the reasons she’d picked up writing as a hobby. Get things into something she could actually study, think about. She’d return to thoughts she’d jot down every few days, dissect what she was going through. With no one to talk or vent to, that kind of stuff was in her own hands.

She was glad Civet was with her. Without the RainWing swooping over every few minutes to ask a random question or share a thought, Seafoam would’ve completely spiraled into autopilot. Seafoam never really minded the silence, but Civet, obviously more extroverted, seemed to enjoy talking a lot more. It was cute to watch her keep the conversation going.

She was one of those dragons who never relied on small talk, always just jumping right into the point she was trying to make. She really loved her. The look on her face when she was about to say something was everything, and it was hard to focus on what she was saying with those gorgeous yellow eyes that sparkled when she talked about things she was passionate about. Even though it tended to just be her usual gushing over funny-looking animals or making fun of Seafoam for not liking some kind of exotic fruit, it made her admire her even more.

She remembered one instance in particular when Civet had put a hold on their journey to make Seafoam look at a gecko, who she'd dubbed "a polite little fellow." She'd almost brought it with them, too.

The fierce butterflies in her gut had finally settled down, at least somewhat, but the warm tingle when she was around Civet never really went away.

“Favorite instrument, go.”

“Harp. No contest.”

Seafoam never had to think much about this question. Harp had been her favorite instrument since she was seventeen. When she fell in love with a charming IceWing harpist, one who’d become both the father of her dragonet and the cause of most of the grief in her life.

"Oh, nice. Harp is really pretty, Foamy."

'Foamy.' She couldn't imagine one of her subjects calling her that. And yet she liked it a lot more than 'your majesty.' Apparently the two were on a nickname-basis now.

And then Seafoam was brought into the past. It felt weird. She was on the outside looking in, watching herself and Permafrost laying together in the grass. Her heart warmed as she silently mouthed the words her memory self was about to speak.

“We should run away together.”

Permafrost had stopped strumming his harp for a moment to look at her dubiously. She'd laughed and stared at the ground. Their tails were twined, bodies pressed close together.

They’d started dating innocently before the war. When inter-tribe relationships were frowned upon rather than treason. Her reputation as a royal and his status in the IceWing circles had forced them to meet secretly, but the situation never came to a point where they could be honest about things. If anything, it got worse. This might be the only opening they'd get.

They’d continued to see each other despite everything. They had yet to get caught, but something told Seafoam that Mako was catching on. He never said anything, though. Little did they know getting caught would lead to Permafrost's death.

“Really, Seafoam?” Seafoam smiled nostalgically at his voice, watching the scene play out.

“Why not?” she'd replied, grinning. She’d brought it up as a joke, but only halfway. If he took it seriously, she’d be up for anything.

If you’d asked her then if she and Permafrost were soulmates, she would’ve said yes. If you asked her now, four years later, after all the pain and heartache, if she and Permafrost were soulmates, she would say yes. Gentoo couldn’t have a better father.

Permafrost had squeezed his tail tighter to hers. The spines on the end of his tail were light and clumped together in a way that they almost looked like feathers. She’d always loved it, and couldn’t have been more thrilled that the trait had passed down to their son.

“Wait, you’re right.” He'd shifted in the grass, turning to meet her eyes. “Why not? Why shouldn’t we be able to love who we love, be with who we wanna be with?” Seafoam had beamed, craning her neck to press her head against his.

“Moons you’re cheesy, Perm,” she'd teased through a laugh.

There was a whimsical feeling in the air. It was light and cool and the stars above them were gorgeous.

“I mean it.” He'd laughed and started strumming the harp again, then pulled a few lilies from the ground and handed them to her. Her heart had been beating fast.

"What are you doing?"

“Seafoam. Let's do it. I don’t have a ring, but I love you. Let’s ditch everything except each other.”

“You dork. I love you, too. You promise we'll actually go through with this, though? I want to, but I feel like it won't work out somehow.”

"I promise."

Seafoam had beamed. She'd stuck one of the flowers behind her ear and looked up at him. She'd really wanted to spend the rest of her life with this dragon.

She had pulled him into a tight hug, remembering thinking that maybe everything would be okay after all. They'd stayed like that for what felt like forever, enjoying each other’s embrace.

“I love you,” they'd whispered again at the same time.

Seafoam flashed back into reality, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She blinked a few times, the memory she’d been clinging onto fading. That was one of her only good memories, one of the best days of her life. Any day spent with Permafrost seemed to be.

They never ended up married. Permafrost had been murdered by her own mother before they could. She remembered blindly wandering the corridors of the palace, having musicians play harp for her whenever she really needed to hear it. That and writing were the only sources of comfort she had during that time. No one around her made any difference. They weren’t like Permafrost, whose face could cheer her up instantly.

Seafoam almost choked, the grief from his death returning and hitting her in the face like a tsunami.

“Seafoam? Are you okay?”

The gentle voice from her right pulled her out of her emotions. She quickly rubbed her eyes with her wrists and turned to the other dragon gratefully, her feelings in knots.

“Yeah, Civet. I’m fine.”

The RainWing nodded, but the sky blue creeping onto her scales proved she wasn’t entirely convinced. She didn't push her, though. One of the reasons Seafoam fell so hard for Civet is how much she reminded her of Permafrost.

Seafoam’s talons hovered delicately over a tattoo on the underside of her wing. A stem of lilies etched out in black ink. She’d gotten it shortly after Permafrost’s death, as somewhat of a coping method. It was easy to hide but always there.

One of Civet’s spontaneous thoughts had hit Seafoam particularly hard, probably more than intended:

_Why do bad things happen to good people?_

Maybe they were just background characters in someone else's story, like Azure's or Mako's. Ones that could be killed off at any point and forgotten about.

  
Permafrost was one of the most wonderful dragons Seafoam had met, which may not have been much of a contest. Either way he was an absolute angel, never thinking twice about making sacrifices for those he cared about. He never, ever deserved to die.   
  



	12. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last of the unposted chapters!
> 
> peppermint's the person in the group project that does all the work, fennec helps, solstice is tired, and there's yet another heart-to-heart that changes a lot

Fennec woke up at the crack of dawn. He'd recently trained himself to be a light sleeper but had actually gotten a decent amount of rest for once thanks to Peppermint. Decent by the standards of being on the run, anyway.   
  
He rubbed his heavy eyes and rolled over to look around.   
  
Peppermint was still keeping watch outside their makeshift camp, facing away from him. She was like one of those giraffes who could function just fine on barely an hour of sleep.   
  
Meanwhile Solstice was her polar opposite. She was still asleep a few feet away from him. It’d taken her a long time to get used to the tight schedule of being a fugitive, and it was more often than not that she’d be a pain to drag out of bed. She’d pretty much adjusted to little to no sleep now, but that didn’t mean she liked it. 

  
Fennec shoved her somewhat forcefully and she blinked open her eyes, groaning.  
  
“Morning, sleeping beauty. We gotta get moving.”  
  
Solstice replied with a nod of her head and stretched, the white speckles on her wings glittering in the morning sun. “Where we heading?”  
  
“I was talking with Peppermint last night and she thinks we should start heading north.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Solstice usually trusted the other two to plan things out, being down for whatever they suggested. She was never good with that kind of stuff anyway, and they seemed to know what they were doing.  


At the mention of her name, Peppermint turned around and trotted over to them. She shot them both a quick 'morning’ and sat down.  
  
“I think we should try to hit Possibility today,” she suggested, getting right to the point and building off of Fennec.  
  
She pulled a rolled-up map of the continent out of her crossbody bag as Solstice and Fennec started packing up their sections of the campsite.  
  
“We’re around here right now,” Peppermint said, spreading out the map and placing rocks around the corners as paperweights. The other two headed back over and watched from behind her as she circled the peninsula under the desert with ink. There were markings and notes all over the paper. She seemed to be documenting things as she traveled.  


“We should probably head through the mountains to avoid the Sand Kingdom and stop in the city for the night. It’s filled with dragons so it’s our best option for hiding. We could rent a room or something.”  
  
She drew a line through the mountains and around to Possibility, which she also circled. “We can hunt for some breakfast on the way. I think tomorrow we can finish most of the journey. Sound good?”  
  
The other two gave her mutters of agreement and Peppermint stuffed her map back into the bag, the feather-like spines on the end of her tail brushing the ground slowly. She’d been a great contribution to the group, and neither regretted letting her join them. She was nice but took charge naturally, keeping them in check.  
  
“Okay, cool. Imma go get my stuff packed up and we can get going.”  
  
~  
  
Seafoam had the biggest, most baffling feelings for Civet. It was something she’d more or less gotten used to at this point, and she supposed, the more she thought about it, wasn't very baffling. Civet was gorgeous and confident, and bold and bright and wonderful. It was in her aura. She made things exciting, and she made Seafoam’s face burn, and she was no one but herself.   
  
She was always genuine. She made Seafoam laugh and blush way too much and it was proving hard to restrain herself from confessing everything. She knew it was never the right time, though, despite how much she wanted to do it.  
  
Their situation was ironic. How an everyday RainWing had enough confidence to be so loose and easygoing around a queen. It was one of the things that made her fall for her. She was just so different, treating and talking to her like an average dragon rather than even considering the royal status that she so despised.   
  
That and how much she reminded Seafoam of Permafrost. She supposed she had a type. Namely dragons the kingdom would never accept.  
  
Seafoam had pretty much gotten used to the fact that she was screwed, but every offhand touch, no matter how much she tried to see them as friendly with no hidden meaning whatsoever, would make her get all weird and flustered again. On the inside, anyway.  
  
The way Civet tilted Seafoam’s head with her talons to make her look at something or punched her playfully on the shoulder were some of the only things keeping her going, making her scales tingle as she basked in the one patch of sunlight in her world of darkness. Seafoam felt like she was walking on air half the time.  
  
Civet said what she wanted and laughed too loud and her words always ended up making Seafoam grin like an idiot. It was almost unfair how amazing she was. And it was unfair that even as Seafoam felt her stomach flip over at the mere thought of holding Civet’s talons, there was still no way they could ever work, even if the RainWing somehow felt the same.  
  
It was the last day of their journey. Well, the last night. They’d been flying all day and decided to make camp on the outskirts of the rainforest before actually getting to the kingdom in the morning.   
  
Seafoam decided to occupy herself with lighting a fire as Civet started setting up camp, crickets chirping and leaves rustling in the background. Neither of them had firebreath so they had to do it the old-fashioned way, which was proving to be much more tedious than she anticipated.   
  
The RainWing cast her a glance that was hard to read and approached Seafoam, still carrying various supplies. Civet set some of the things down before sitting a few feet away from her, tossing Seafoam a blanket and keeping one for herself.  
  
“You sure you’re alright, Foamy?"  
  
Seafoam almost dropped the sticks in her talons as she scraped them together abruptly and sparks started to fly.  
  
"I know you’ve been through a lot. I’m not gonna judge you. Macaw used to vent to me all the time when he was still living in the rainforest, and frankly I learned a lot more than I needed to know. You can talk to me about whatever.”  
  
“Mhm,” Seafoam hummed, nodding and mustering what she hoped was a lighthearted smile. She tucked her wings closer to herself, her thick tail lashing slowly as she watched the small fire come to life. She avoided eye contact, trying to clear her head. Her feelings were beyond her understanding.  
  
Civet moved slightly closer to her, her body language inviting but her eyes on the ground.   
  
“I don’t believe you,” she commented, hiding the concern edging her voice with a joking tone. “This may sound stupid, but I’ve only known you for a couple weeks and I really care about you. I can’t let you go back to your kingdom until I’m sure you’re okay. I’m one of those dragons who can’t really be happy if the ones they care about aren’t.”  
  
Seafoam met her eyes, feeling ridiculous. Her tone was gentle but hit her hard.  
  
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I wanna make sure you’re alright, you know?”  
  
“I… I, uh, don’t think you’d get it. Half the time I don’t even know how to untangle my own feelings. There’s just a lot going on, and it all kind of plays back off itself. You’d, uh... you’d probably not see me the same if I dumped everything bothering me on you. You shouldn’t worry about me, really,” she rambled, not entirely sure what she was saying.  
  
“Hey. I get it.”   
  
Civet slid closer to Seafoam, almost to the point where their shoulders were touching. Seafoam stiffened a bit, wrapping her tail around her talons. They didn’t need to make eye contact, but somehow she’d never felt closer with anyone before.  
  
“There’s a lot of things about me I don’t talk about. I’m nowhere near happy all the time, but I pretend to be for the dragons I love. It’s an act sometimes and it’s better for others not to be concerned about me on top of everything else. I know what you’re going through."  
  
Seafoam nodded, her eyes absentmindedly tracing the lines of the tattoo on her wing.   
  
“But, look.”  
  
Civet surprised Seafoam by grabbing her talons and holding them tightly as she locked eyes with the SeaWing. This was more than just an offhand touch. Seafoam’s heart skipped several beats as Civet called her by her actual name for the first time in days.  
  
“Seafoam. Nothing you could say in a million years would ever make me hate you. You could tell me you’re a goddamn fugitive and I’d go on the run with you, no questions asked.” She laughed and smiled gently. “Not like I’ve got anything better to do. Anyway. I’m not gonna make you tell me more than you want to, but I can tell something’s bothering you. If you ever need to talk; about Mako, about Gentoo, about your kingdom, about anything...”   
  
Civet’s eyes traveled briefly to their talons, which were still laced together. What did _that_ mean?  
  
“Don’t be a stranger. I’m right here, okay?”  
  
As she turned her head to look at Civet, she realized for the first time how close they were. Their faces were inches apart, and Seafoam could see herself in the yellow eyes that were fiercely searching her expression. She also realized that she hadn’t moved at all.   
  
Seafoam let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Everything felt so intense.  
  
“Okay.”

“Okay,” the RainWing echoed through a sigh, relaxing and slumping on Seafoam’s shoulder. Seafoam stiffened again, not at all used to this, but she figured they were both too tired to worry about it and eventually sunk into the embrace, loosening her posture as she kept an eye on the crackling fire in front of them.   
  
“You’re great, Civet,” Seafoam said after a while, tilting her head. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I never met you. I have to say I’m pretty sad to see you go.”  
  
Civet shifted a bit to look at her, a sheepish smile playing on her face. “Ha! You love me,” she teased, but the way she watched the ground and propped her head on her palm told Seafoam it meant more to her than she let on.   
  
Seafoam rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it. Civet noticed.   
  
Neither said anything else.

Eventually Civet started dozing off. Seafoam pulled a blanket over the two of them, moving as little as possible so she wouldn’t accidentally cue her to get off. Neither let go of the other’s talons throughout the night as they drifted off next to each other in a tangle of wings and scales. Both were too exhausted to question what it really meant. They needed each other, at least for one night.  
  
Seafoam saw a new side to Civet, one she hadn't really noticed before. She was just as broken as she was but better at disguising it. Maybe they had more in common than she thought.  
  
Seafoam felt like she could actually sleep for the first time in weeks. Moons, what a perfect final night of their journey.   
  
Seafoam hadn’t felt as at peace as she did now in a hell of a long time. There seemed to be an unspoken connection between them now, one they didn’t entirely understand. Maybe Civet felt something too, after all. If she did, though, she wouldn’t explicitly bring it up any time soon. Still, the possibility made Seafoam's heart warm.  
  
Neither would mention this night, either. It was as if it never happened at first glance, but it still had an all too familiar place in their memories.  
  
“I love you,” no one said.


End file.
